Caleido is building a tool for SMEs that makes cash flow forecasting and financial management real-time. The journey from idea to product and to the first paying customers has required timely public funding.
Grants has been alongside Caleido as a support funding partner since 2023.
During the collaboration, Caleido has applied for an Innovation Voucher, Tempo funding and most recently a Business Finland R&D loan, which have enabled systematic progress from product development towards scalable business.
Caleido co-founder and chairman of the board Ali Omar sees the ongoing partnership as a clear competitive advantage.
“We want to do things properly. We build a product that really solves the customer’s problem. The same applies to financing, it shouldn’t be done half-heartedly. Grants gave us a clear process and rhythm on the financing side.”
Cash flow management without Excel clutter
Caleido develops software that helps SMEs forecast cash flow, model scenarios and manage profitability from a single view.
Many companies still do this in Excel, or not at all.
Caleido’s solution automates accounting data, enriches it with payment dates and transforms the data into real-time cash flow forecasts and management reports. The goal is to free up time for managing the business itself.
The company is still heavily in the product development phase, but its revenue is already around 10,000 euros per month, and its customer base is growing steadily.
“When you see that customers are actually using your product and paying for it, you know you’re on the right track. Then the most important thing is to have more time and focus on development. Public funding is easy to outsource,” Ali Omar sums up
The financing path was built in stages
The collaboration with Grants began in the summer of 2023.
First, the then Innovation Voucher was applied for, which was used to validate the concept and develop the initial product. After that, Tempo financing helped in preparing for international growth and commercialization. The R&D loan now applied for supports broader product development and scaling.
Step-by-step progress has been Caleido’s natural way of building while managing risk.
“In a startup, the focus must be on the product and customers. If you try to learn financial instruments, schedules and application language at the same time, it takes an unreasonable amount of energy. With Grants, we can focus on what we are good at.”
As-a-service model saves time and nerves
Ali Omar emphasizes the difference between individual applications and ongoing partnerships.
When a partner knows the company’s strategy, roadmap and goals, there is no need to start new applications from scratch every time. Omar summarizes the essence of the financing partnership as follows:
“Grants knows our business. It makes everything faster and clearer. I think it works as it should: we build the product and Grants takes care of the financing. Good division of labor.”
Who is Grants suitable for?
Based on Caleido’s experience, Grants’ ongoing funding partnership is particularly suitable for:
- startup and growth companies doing product development
- companies with a clear roadmap but limited resources
- teams that want to focus on doing and not on application bureaucracy
Ali Omar summarizes the benefits:
“If you are ambitiously aiming for growth and doing real product development, it would be foolish not to utilize public funding. It is worth doing it with professionals, so you can focus on what is essential. For us, Grants has been a no-brainer as a partner.”